Seismic Performance of Masonry Building

Significant of Past earthquakes in the recent years

Eg. Bhuj, 2001; Chamoli-1999, Jabalpur-1997,Latur-1993 very
poor in seismic response of building the structures
Main cause Improper seismic design of such buildings
Important Factors
Failure to connection between walls Walls, which are the
weakest link in masonry buildings must be tied together properly like
a box to ensure good seismic performance
Absence of proper bonding between walls at the junction A good
interlocking of brick courses at the corner junctions should be ensure
Large size openings The sizes of door & window openings must
be kept small to increase the resistance of wall to seismic shocks
 Seismic Performance of Masonry Building
Too long walls & tall walls
Vulnerable to ground shaking
Length to thickness & height to thickness ratio of walls must be
according to the specified seismic design codes
Excessive porosity & poor tensile strength of bricks
Seismic behavior of masonry walls depends upon the relative
strength of bricks & mortar
Both masonry & concrete can carry compressive loads safely but
their behavior in tension is very poor
Standard recommended bricks & specified grades of mortars must be
used in the construction of masonry buildings situated in a particular
seismic zone (as per seismic zone map)
 Seismic Performance of Masonry Building
Large scale construction of non-structural components in the buildings
Parapets, gables, unanchored walls, projections etc.,
Collapse of these improperly tied non-structural components during
earthquake
Major cause is loss of river
Loss of lives can be minimized by constructing lesser number of such
elements
By giving proper design considerations i.e. proper anchoring etc.,
Seismic Performance of Masonry Building
Irregular or asymmetric plans of masonry buildings
Rectangular buildings suffer less damage during earthquakes when
compared with irregular buildings
Irregular building building that lacks symmetry & has discontinuity
in mass & geometry
Concentration of large mass at one place attracts large horizontal or
torsion forces during ground shaking
Building must be designed by adopting appropriate structural
configuration with overall distribution of mass
 Common Modes of Failure
Out-of- plane failure
In-plane failure
Connection failure
Diaphragm failure
Non-structural components failure
 OUT of PLANE Failure
Its one of the most common modes of failure of masonry buildings
Walls which are the main sub-units in masonry structures behave as
discrete or independent units during earthquakes
In this type of failure the structural walls situated perpendicular to the
ground seismic motion
Causes the development of vertical cracks or fissures at the corners & at
the centre of walls
These walls are called as flexural walls
 CAUSES OF OUT of PLANE Failure
Inadequate or improper joining of vertical walls with the roof structures
Poor & limited tensile strength of masonry units & mortar
Burnt, un-burnt bricks, solid bricks, hollow bricks, stone blocks etc.,
Construction of long span diaphragms
Horizontal diaphragms results on this type of failure due to excessive
horizontal flexure
Increase in flexural stress leads to rupture of component parts followed
by collapse of building
Characterization of OUT of PLANE Failure
Formation of vertical cracks in the corner & in the middle of the walls
Formation of cracks at the lintel level
Formation of cracks at the roof level
Rupture of exterior walls
Ejection of masonry units from the walls
Formation of horizontal cracks along the faade (front of buildings)
 IN-plane failure
In-plane failure of structural walls is traditionally built in constructions of
India
Major failure but quiet less than out-of-plane
It happens in which structural walls are situated parallel to earthquake
motion are subjected to bending & shear forces causing development of
horizontal & diagonal cracks in the walls
 Causes of IN-plane failure
Main causes of in-plane failure are:-
Excessive bending
Excessive shear
Repeated load reversal
Characterization of In-plane failure
In-plane failure walls of unreinforced masonry structures is characterized by the
following features
Vertical cracks
Diagonal cracks or shear cracks on parapets
Diagonal shear cracks in doors & window lintels. It is also known as X-cracking
Diagonal cracks in wall portion situated between openings. It is termed as wall
masonry
Crushing of wall corners
Horizontal bending cracks on top & bottom of wall pier masonry
Vertical cracks near wall junction
Spalling of material at floor beam level
 diaphragm failure
This type of failure occurs rarely during earthquakes
Diaphragms are horizontal residing elements serving as horizontal link with the vertical
components of buildings such as columns & walls
For e.g. Roof slab, first floor diaphragm etc.,
These diaphragms are important structural elements which possess adequate strength & stiffness
These transfer the delivered earthquake forces to the vertical components like columns, shear
walls, frames etc., which ultimately transfer the seismic forces into the foundation
The diaphragm failure is type of failure in which it losses its capability of good shear transfer to
the walls.
It may be understood that diaphragm failure only leads to shear failure of masonry walls
resulting from excessive diaphragm flexibility
Damage at the corners of the walls is generally observed in the absence of no shear transfer
connection
This failure doesnt mean that it will lose its gravity load carrying capacity
In properly strengthened & anchored buildings, the problem of diaphragm failure remains non
existent
It can be prevented by adequately anchoring the diaphragm with the reaction walls by use of
shear walls
 Connection failure
During earthquake, seismic inertia forces are generated in all elements of the building
These inertia forces are initially delivered to the horizontal diaphragms such as floor slab
These forces are further distributed by the floor slab to the vertical elements like walls &
columns which transfer the forces to the foundation
Ultimately the lateral inertia forces are transferred to the soil system lying below the
foundations
The connections between all the structural elements such as floor slabs, walls, columns,
foundations etc., must be designed adequately so that seismic forces of inertia are safely
distributed through them
This type of failure is typically characterized by:
Formation of diagonal cracks on masonry walls
Collapse of corner zones
Main causes of connection failure
Principal causes of connection failure is traditionally built constructions are:
Increased size & no. of wall openings
Inadequately strengthened openings near the edges of masonry walls
Insufficient connection of floors with the external walls
Due to relative small thickness of walls & use of brittle material like masonry
 Non-structural failure
Components of building which arent designed & designed by structural engineer like the other
load bearing elements like columns, beams, slab etc., are termed as non-structural components
The non-structural components include:
Parapet walls
Partition walls
Mumty
Water tanks
Cornices
Canopies
Staircase
Projections etc.,
The above mentioned non-structural components are damaged generally when subjected to
earthquake forces because these are not structurally safe & also not a part of initial building
design.
Some of the non-structural components like partition walls, projections & water tanks etc., are
often added after the initial building design is approved
Causes of failure of Non-structural components
Important causes of failure of non-structural components are as follows
Improper & inadequate design to resist lateral force
Poor condition with the main structural elements
Non-bracing or poor restraining of these structural elements
In absence of anchoring or bracing these components behave like cantilevers & are
subjected to greater amplification becoming prone to damaged during earthquakes
 MASONRY CRACKING
GRADE DAMAGE LEVEL DEFINATION FOR LOAD BEARING MASONRY
CRACKS
G0 Undamaged No visible damage

G1 Slight damage Hairline cracks

G2 Moderate damage Cracks 5-20 mm

G3 Heavy damage Cracks 20 mm or wall material dislodge

G4 Partial destruction Complete collapse of individual wall material

or roof support
G5 Collapse More than one wall collapsed or more than
half of roof
REPAIRING TECHNIQUES OF MASONARY:-